


A Beautiful Stranger

by Sweet_Vampire



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Drinking, F/F, Meet-Cute, carolnat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Vampire/pseuds/Sweet_Vampire
Summary: Carol tries to relax in a pub after a hard day at work.  When a beautiful stranger pours a drink on her, her day gets a little better.
Relationships: Carol Danvers/Natasha Romanov
Kudos: 19





	A Beautiful Stranger

Carol opened the pub door and sighed. After the day she had finished eating, she really needed a drink.

Being a detective was rewarding when it meant bandits were arrested. It wasn't so much fun when the bad guys kept running away ... again ... and again ... _and again._

"Good night, Vers," said her favorite bartender, Maria Rambeau. Carol gave the other woman a quick smile, then settled on a stool at the bar. She was becoming kind of a regular here, and she and Maria were on friendly terms. "Hard day?"

Carol laughed and ran her fingers through her spiky blond hair. "Is it so obvious?"

"What do you want, love?" Maria asked, her voice friendly.

Carol shrugged. "Surprise me."

Maria handed her a glass moments later and she smelled the contents - a habit that her mentor, Tony Stark, had instilled in her. Whiskey, by the smell. She took a sip and shivered at the burning sensation.

"This is our strongest material," said Maria.

"Yes, I noticed," she gasped.

As Carol drank whiskey for the next half hour, she noticed the other customers at the bar. There were some guys who seemed to have a heated argument about which rugby team was superior, an older couple who were sitting together but barely talking, and a few other scattered people who, like her, were drinking alone.

When her glass was empty, she asked Maria for a refill, then decided to help herself to a table by the window. She was tired of thinking about all the dead ends she chased that day, and watching people seemed like just the distraction she needed.

She tried to get out of the way, but it wasn't fast enough. To her horror, she collided with the other woman, and her glass fell to the floor. She then shivered when a cold liquid started to trickle down her white shirt.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry .." The Redhead Carol had just bumped into quickly dropped her now empty glass and held out her hand. "Here, let me help you. You don't want to sit on any broken glass."

Carol stood up and looked sadly at her drink, which was now spreading across the floor. Fortunately, Maria must have seen or heard the glass break, because she moved with some rags and started cleaning up the spill.

"I'll do it," Carol offered, but Maria shooed her away.

"Are you alright?"

Carol looked at the woman who helped her to her feet. She was short - quite a bit taller than Carol - and had tightly braided hair and clear, smooth skin. If asked, Carol would have said that she was incredibly beautiful, without a moment's hesitation.

"Um, yes, I'm fine," Carol said quickly, her brain finally remembering that a question had been asked of her. "I'm sorry, by the way. I'm so clumsy-"

"No, it was my fault," said the other woman. "I'll buy you another drink, it's the least I can do."

"Oh, no, you really don't need to-" The blonde started to protest, but the woman was already on her way to the bar.  
Carol was impressed by her long, toned legs, but feigned interest on the floor until she returned with two glasses of amber liquid.

She took one of the glasses, offering a small smile in return. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry there is nothing I can do about your shirt," said the woman, pointing to the big stain on the white fabric.

Carol looked at him. It certainly wasn't her best appearance, but she was much worse. Tony could attest to that. "It's okay. It's just a shirt."

"Are you here alone?" the woman asked.

Carol blushed slightly, although she wasn't sure why. "Uh, yes."

"Me too. Would you like to join me?"

"Oh." She ran a hand through her hair, thinking. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, so she said, "Um, of course. I'm Vers, by the way."

"Vers? It's an interesting name," commented the woman.

"Oh, well, it's really Carol Denvers, but nobody calls me that," explained Carol, rolling her eyes. "It's always Carol or Vers"

The woman laughed. "Got it. Well, it's nice to meet you, Vers. I'm Natalia- or Natasha, for my friends." Natasha smiled at her, and Carol felt her cheeks get hot again. Maybe it was the whiskey.

"It's nice to meet you too," she murmured, taking a sip of whiskey to cover her embarrassment. Fortunately, Natasha didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

At first, Denvers felt a little out of their element sitting with such a beautiful stranger, but their conversation soon came out of hiding. She treated Natasha with tales from the countryside, as well as the strange mysteries she had solved over the years. Each time she made the other woman laugh, she felt like she had achieved something monumental.

Natasha, on the other hand, was equally talkative, telling stories about what it is like to be a ballerina in a semi-professional way and, later, to work for her friends who owned a Flores store. She was very excited when she spoke, all funny gestures and facial expressions. In many ways, she reminded Carol of herself.

Too early for Danvers' taste, she looked down and realized that her glass was empty. With that, came the realization that she couldn't stay and talk to Natasha forever.

"Well, I think I better go," she said reluctantly. She got up and stretched. "Thanks for the conversation, Natalia."

"Please call me Nat" She smiled. "It's the least you can do after talking to me for so long."

"Nat, then," said Carol, trying to record the other woman's face in memory. Maybe she would find her again, in this pub or somewhere else in New York.

Almost as if she had read Carol's mind, Natalia asked: "Would you mind if we changed cell numbers? I really enjoyed talking to you."

Carol reached into her pants pocket and took out her cell phone. "I wouldn't mind that."

Maybe her day hadn't started out so well, Carol reflected as she handed the phone over to Natasha, but it certainly had gotten a lot better.


End file.
